A$AP Rocky Hops Into Rihanna’s Arms After Found Not Guilty In Assault Trial

On Tuesday, A$AP Rocky was found not guilty of shooting a former collaborator after the jury deliberated his verdict for three hours straight with the whole trial lasting for three weeks.

The rapper, born Rakim Mayers, faced two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, stemming from an altercation with his former friend, Terrell Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli, near a Hollywood hotel in 2021.

In response to the surprise verdict, Rocky hugged his family, including his wife Rihanna, who he lept into the arms of, and embraced his lawyer Joe Tacopina in immense relief. Even the Los Angeles courtroom was full of loyal fans to support him as they cheered for him.

Rihanna also hugged the defense lawyers — she attended the trial sporadically and brought their two sons for some of the closing arguments.

“Thank y’all for saving my life,” Rocky told jurors who ultimately spared him a prison sentence that could have lasted for more than two decades.

It took the clerk some time to be able to finally read the second not guilty verdict with the unlikely outcome the jury would split on the count, according to AP News.

“Mr. Mayers, you’re excused,” Judge Mark Arnold said.

Just a day before trial, Rocky turned down a prosecution offer of six months in jail, along with probation and other conditions, if he would plead guilty to one count. Insisting on his innocence, he decided to gamble that a jury would feel the same. It paid off in the end because the jurors felt there was reasonable doubt of his guilt.

“This whole experience has been crazy for the past four years,” Rocky said amid the mob scene of photographers, reporters, YouTubers, and fans outside the courthouse. “I’m thankful and it’s blessed to be here right now to be a free man talking to y’all.”

Meanwhile, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said he respected the jury’s decision just as well.

“Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who blean the law, no matter their status or influence,” Hochman said in a statement. “Fame does not place anyone above the laws and we will not waver in our pursuit of justice for victims and the community.”

The trial started with an alleged feud Rocky had with Relli in recent years, with whom he had been in a crew who called themselves the A$AP Mob since high school. Prosecutors and their witnesses said the two men met up in Hollywood on November 6, 2021, and after an altercation, Rocky pulled the gun and fired twice at Relli, who said one of the shots grazed his knuckle but was not seriously hurt.

“There was a moment when before we heard the words from the clerk m, he didn’t know if he was going to be spending the next two decades in jail or going home,” Tacopina said about Rocky’s final verdict. “That was raw emotion, you guys got to see that. Even for us if it was insane.”

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